Primary marking mechanism support



Aug. 11, 1936.

A. F. FOEHRENBACH ET AL PRIMARY MARKING MECHANISM SUPPORT Filed Dec. 29, 1934 6 5 5 w B wfimmw 1 1 1 1 1 l l v 1 3i 0 M w W m i H W 0 f M M 1 w 0 M w .5 R A K A n Patented Aug. 11, 1936 PRIMARY MARKING MECHANISM SUPPORT Arthur F. Foehrenbach and Ransom F. Shoup, Canton, Ohio, assignors of one-half to Berger Manufacturing Company, Canton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio, and one-half to Shoup Voting Machine Corporation, Union City, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application December 29, 1934, Serial No. 759,730

3 Claims. (Cl. 16499) This invention relates to voting machines and more specifically to an improved supporting structure for the marking device incorporated within the primary voting unit of the machine.

mechanism to limit the voting operation to that of a single political party.

In the voting machine in which the present invention is embodied a'party lockout mecha- The improvement embodying the present innism is provided which, as heretofore described, ention is illustrated as coordinated with a, malS controllable by an ofiicer authorized to restrict chine of the character disclosed in an applicathe operation of the machine to the candidates tion by Samuel R. Shoup et al., filed July 25, grouped under the declared political party. The 1929, Serial No. 380,839, although the device is mechanism constituting the party lockout device adapted for use upon machines of other types. is fully disclosed in application Serial No. 380,839

The object of this invention is to provide aforesaid and since the present invention only marking wheel supporting structure and guidecontemplates structural improvements in such way therefor which is efficient of operation, mechanism a further description thereof, other sturdy of construction and economic of manuthan reference to the actuating straps thereon, facture. is deemed unnecessary in the present applica- Referring to the drawing in which a pretion. ferred embodiment of this invention is illus- When a voter in a primary election wishes tramp to vote for an individual whose name does not Figure 1 is a fragmentary view of the interior appear on the election ballot he retracts one of the voting machine illustrating in plan view of the plates l2 released for actuation by the one of the marking wheel devices, the supporting election oflicer and inscribes, or otherwise suitstructure and guideway therefor. ably marks, the name of the individual of his a Figure 2 is a side elevational view of'the appersonal choice upon the paper l4. Upon operparatus illustrated in Figure 1. ation of the voting mechanism the name thus Figure 3 is a detail view in perspective illusvoted will be identified with the political party trating the marking wheel, the supporting frame of his declared affiliation. Such identification therefor and the guideways embodied in said is effected by operation of the voting mechanism frame, and consequent actuation of one of a group of Figure 4 is a detail View in perspective illusmarker wheels or rolls l1 adapted to perforate trating the manner in which the pull straps are or stamp the paper with suitable indicia, or to mounted and the manner in which the marking identify the political party by the position of wheels are guided in the voting machine frame. such marking relative to the arrangement of Referring to Figures 1 and 2 the voting mathe parties in the primary lockout device. chine cabinet til embodies a panel ll having The marking rollers i! embodied in the presapertures therein which are provided with slident invention are mounted upon a plate I8 having cover plates 1 2 disposed in vertical columns ing a flanged marginal edge IS, a portion of in the: forward face of the machine. Rearward which is looped to form a yoke 26 for supportthe cover plates i2 there is a platen l3 over ing a p 2| p n w i h the r l r H i m unt d. which there is trained a paper sheet l4 prefer- The hub Portions of the malking rollers are of ably drawn from a roll l5 and gathered upon a Such diameter that upon actuation they will drum it. The drum is arranged for ready rem fl platen s forming a Stop and moval so that the votes indicated by the ingi fg gg g;g: g; i; 2 1: 335322 5 2; ig i g g gg i g g fi gi $23 3 23 222333 the flange !9 and adjacent the plate II of the voting machine cabinet there is a pull strap 22 electlon Votes cast by the mscnpttotl method which extends transversely across the face of the tamed mctependent of any pohtlcal P machine in guideways or notches 23 formed in afliliat ion. In pnmary ele ctlon however, it 1s the flanged portion of a frame 24 Secured upon essential that the party ldentlfication of the the inner f ce of the panel Adjacent the candldate be known- It 1S1 therefore customary outer wall 25 of the voting machine cabinet there at such elections to require the voters to declare is channd iron 2 having Slots 21 machined their P y Choice 110 an election OffiCeI W110 in the forward flange thereof which is of suitable thereupon adjusts the machine so that no canwidth to accomm d t th t m; engagedidate under a party other than that declared ment of the plate 18. The channel 26 is dismay be voted, or for the voter to adjust the posed slightly forward the panel II to permit I to reciprocative movement of the flange l9 and the superimposed pull strap 22 intermediate the forwardly disposed flange thereof and the panel I l. Horizontally aligned with the slot 21 there is a slot 28 machined in the inturned legs 28a of the channel 26. The slot 23 constitutes a guideway for the lower'face of the plate til, the slots in the flange of the channel being of adequate length to provide suitable clearance for the reciprocative translation of the roller H. To accommodate machining variations in the parts and variations due to assembly, the legs 23a of the channel 26 may be bent upward or downward to insure alignment of the marking rollers if within the machined slots 13a in the platen l3. In'the accompanying drawing three sets of marking rollers are illustrated but it is to be understood that one of these rollers is employed for each political party in the ballot and that themachine is constructed to accommodate variation thereof. I i

In operation, when the voter declares his party affiliation and .causes'the proper pullfstrap 22 to be actuated the marking roller IT will'fbefadvanced to perforate or otherwise mark the paper I 4." Thereafter should the'voter'inscribe a name upon the paper a record is formed Which'co'ordihates the vote'withthe voters party choice.

The marking rollers 11' are disposed subjacent the cover plates 12 for ieachjpoliticalparty, which prevents the perforations from mutilating the paper upon which a person" has written, the name of his personal choice; The pull strap 22 when actuated is guided in the slots' 23 in the frame 24, the plate 18 being supported and "guidedin the slots 21 and 28. In this construction the alignmentnof the rollers are suitably maintained yet the frictional losses are negligible since the guideway'bearing surfaces are confined to the narrow edges of therchannel stock upon which the plate I8 is supported. The roller support embodied herein possesses the further advantage that'it may be readily assembled within the machine and that it'is susceptible of removal without displacement of the roller plate l8 in the event repair or adjustment 'isrnec'essary to mechanisms appurtenant the marking device. d

Althoughthe foregoing description, is neces downward parallel the base of said plate forming a yoke for holding a marker wheel, a channel having slots therein defining guideways, said plate bein disposed in said guideways and having aportion of said vertical flange disposed adjacent an outer edge of one leg of said channel to form a lateral guide, the yoke portion of said plate being disposed remote the portion of the plate enga ed by said guideway to facilitate reciprocative movement of the plate within the guideway. 9,2. A marking vmechanism support compri ing a plate, a vertically disposed flange on one edge 2 thereof, meansfor supporting a marker on said .plate, a channel having slots therein defining guideways, said plate being engaged in said guideways, a second plate disposed adjacent and parallel a leg of said channel, the vertical fiange of said firstnained plate being disposed inter- -medi'ate said second named plate and said leg of said channel thercbyforming a lateral guide for said first named plate.

3. A marking mechanism support comprising .a plate, a vertically disposed flange on one edge thereof, means for supporting a marker on said plate, a channel having slots therein defining guideways; said plate being engaged within said guideways, a member parallel one leg of said channel and. spaced therefrom, the vertica flange of said plate being disposed intermediate said member and said leg of said channel, the portion of said plate engaged Within said guideways being disposed relative the marker to permit reciprocative movement of said plate.

ARTHUR F. FOEHRENBACH. ,RANSOM F. SHOUP. 

